Why does it matter?

There are some criteria’s that a good band for exercise must match:

• It needs to be comfortable - absolutely no chafing allowed.
• It needs to handle sweat well.
• It needs to work well in water ideally dry quickly
• It needs to provide a close enough fit to ensure the heart rate monitor works well.

With the above in mind, lets go !

The Leather Bands

Leather with stainless steel

These are not good for exercise, they will not handle sweat and water well, and if used for exercise, they tend to develop a smell once the leather dries making them a no, no for gym wear. They are also very likely to irritate the skin due to the dead skin cell accumulation once the material dries.

The Sports Silicone Band

This band is currently our favourite for exercise.  

The Sports Silicone Solo Loop Bands meet the criteria for comfort, dealing with sweat and water, and for fits well enough for good heart rate monitoring.  But this may not be perfect for everyone due to lack of adjustability, in which case the infinitely adjustable Sports Loop Band may be a better choice.

They are also nice and smooth, even the metal knob is rounded and smooth.

The Sports Nylon Loop 

Woven Nylon

The Sports loop used to be my band of choice for exercising, but after extensive testing we think the Sport band is more comfortable.  The adjustability is our opinion is better, this due to most people pulling the loop too tight.

Regardless it's a good band and works well in water, drying quickly, has no rough edges and has the added advantage that I can stretch it over any charger quickly and easily.

Conclusion

There are plenty more bands out there you can buy and try - the Woven Nylon doesn't seem to offer anything over the Sport Loop for exercise, and the stainless steel ones seem to be a bad idea altogether because of the extra bulk and edges) , our Silicone Sports Band.